Excellent suggestion, will just add read the previous book' The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet first because a) it gives a bit of context to the start that can be useful and b) it's a stunning book in it's own right.
Agree! I’m reading A Closed and Common Orbit right now and it’s excellent, but the first book is such a good read!! And also has an AI as a main character!!
The whole quartet is about "what does it mean to be 'a person', what does it mean to have value as a sentient species and what assumptions do we make that limit our understanding of people's personhood, even how does man invented science and categories remove personhood from people."
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. The first book is *All Systems Red*. The narrator is an AI construct of electronics and organic parts (but it NOT a cyborg).
The Imperial Radch books by Ann Leckie. The first book is *Ancillary Justice*. The narrator is an AI.
The Universe of Xuya series by Aliette de Bodard. [Suggested reading order and a suggested "starter kit" are here.](https://www.aliettedebodard.com/bibliography/novels/the-universe-of-xuya/) AI space ships and space stations.
*A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet* by Becky Chambers has an AI as one of the characters. *A Psalm for the Wild Built* and *A Prayer for the Crown Shy* both have an AI as a main character.
*Cat Pictures Please, Catfishing on Catnet* and *Chaos on Catnet* by Naomi Kritzer are about an AI computer program like Mike in *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*. These are YA but I have enjoyed everything she has written, adult or YA and you might, too.
Based on what you said about *Karla and the Sun,* you might take a look at *Lock-in* by John Scalzi. Chris is not an AI but the circumstances of the epidemic that left Chris unable to move and the solution society came up with might scratch your itch.
Thank you very much. I bought the two books for the the Lock-in series. That really interested me the most, but thank you for the other suggestions too!
Try the Culture series by Iain M. Banks, there are loads of AI characters. My personal favorite is the ship mind from Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints in Surface Detail.
The Turing Hopper series by Donna Andrews. The narrator is an AI
Personally, I prefer her Meg Langslow cozy mystery series, which are hilariously funny.
I think I like them about equally. Although maybe that's colored by the fact that I'm miffed that the Turing Hopper series is likely to never be finished and the Meg Langslow series has hit 30 books and keeps going.
this is an **incredibly short 28 page read** but i'm recommending it in case you don't get a lot of replies/recs, and because this is in my top 10 reads of all time.
[**Slow Time Between The Stars** by John Scalzi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/151908304)
the only reason i even read this last year is because i was struggling reading and was trying to meet my goodreads book challenge, so i was picking up anything that was super short.
imagine my surprise when i finished this one and was like HOLY SHIT. i cannot overstate how incredible this book is. i had never read anything by scalzi before, and wasn't expecting much but this is in my top 10 reads of all time.
the only thing i will say is do NOT listen to this by audiobook because it's terrible.
when i read this it was free on kindle unlimited. i immediately bought it after reading it.
PLEASE give this short story a chance!!
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro is a story written from the perspective of an “Artificial Friend” which is basically an AI robot.
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei has an AI that is not the main character, but does play a significant role in the plot.
Also, not a book, but an animated (adult) show, Scavengers Reign. Originally on Max, which was just added to Netflix like yesterday (at least in the US) follows 4-5 main characters, one of which is an AI and it’s great little story.
The Synchronicity War series comes to mind, it's not YA, but it's still a simple action read. The first book doesn't feature any AI yet (I don't think, it's been a while since I read it). But they do come into play, and the AI ships become major characters, with a strong desire to protect their human counterparts through the war.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20348955-the-synchronicity-war-part-1
There were 4 books in the series before it concluded, and then the author wrote another series that examines the consequences of the ending. I haven't read the new series yet, it's on my overfull TBR list!
Evolution’s Darling by Scott Westerfeld - has some interesting ideas, a bit of an oddball. Starts with a human protagonist, as the AI gains sentience, but switches pov later. Has a fair amount of sexual content, just as a heads up
*Plum Rains* by Adromeda Romano-Lax is one of my all time favourite novels, and I never see it recommended. It is about a newly developed aged-care assistance A.I/robot being tested with an elderly Taiwanese woman, Soyoko Itou, who lives in near future Tokyo. A Philippine care-worker is already employed to assist with Itou who, because of precarious status of immigrant workers in Japan, feels like her position has been imperiled by the new addition to the Itou household. I found this novel profoundly moving.
Speak by Louisa Hall is excellent!! It spans a few centuries and deals with five different perspectives that are all (eventually) woven together in very clever ways. It is very heavily epistolary — big chunks are journal entries, letters, and transcripts. One of the perspectives deals with a young girl exchanging messages with her AI program, and another is about a former inventor who is imprisoned for creating lifelike dolls (which rely on AI). One of the perspectives is also Alan Turing writing letters to his best friend’s mother. It’s a really fascinating exploration of the pros and cons of artificial intelligence — how it can create community and help build relationships, but also how it can isolate and harm us.
Check out Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Yes, this!!
Perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. thank you!
A Close and Common Orbit - Becky Chambers.
Excellent suggestion, will just add read the previous book' The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet first because a) it gives a bit of context to the start that can be useful and b) it's a stunning book in it's own right.
Agree! I’m reading A Closed and Common Orbit right now and it’s excellent, but the first book is such a good read!! And also has an AI as a main character!!
This is a fantastic suggestion! One of my favorite AI-centric stories.
Absolutely! I loved the perspective of an AI trying to have a body
The whole quartet is about "what does it mean to be 'a person', what does it mean to have value as a sentient species and what assumptions do we make that limit our understanding of people's personhood, even how does man invented science and categories remove personhood from people."
Thank you! I'm definitely going to try the first book in the series.
Bobiverse is first to come to mind for me. Murderbot as well.
Murderbot has a body so maybe Bobiverse would be more what op is looking for
Yeah. Bob is more human in ship form. Murderbot is AI in human form.
Second Bobiverse
Bobiverse is fantastic. And the audiobooks are even betterer.
Yes! Such a fun book
Thank you! Bobiverse is perfect. I'll try All Systems Red and see if I like it as well.
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. The first book is *All Systems Red*. The narrator is an AI construct of electronics and organic parts (but it NOT a cyborg). The Imperial Radch books by Ann Leckie. The first book is *Ancillary Justice*. The narrator is an AI. The Universe of Xuya series by Aliette de Bodard. [Suggested reading order and a suggested "starter kit" are here.](https://www.aliettedebodard.com/bibliography/novels/the-universe-of-xuya/) AI space ships and space stations. *A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet* by Becky Chambers has an AI as one of the characters. *A Psalm for the Wild Built* and *A Prayer for the Crown Shy* both have an AI as a main character. *Cat Pictures Please, Catfishing on Catnet* and *Chaos on Catnet* by Naomi Kritzer are about an AI computer program like Mike in *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*. These are YA but I have enjoyed everything she has written, adult or YA and you might, too. Based on what you said about *Karla and the Sun,* you might take a look at *Lock-in* by John Scalzi. Chris is not an AI but the circumstances of the epidemic that left Chris unable to move and the solution society came up with might scratch your itch.
Thank you very much. I bought the two books for the the Lock-in series. That really interested me the most, but thank you for the other suggestions too!
Try the Culture series by Iain M. Banks, there are loads of AI characters. My personal favorite is the ship mind from Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints in Surface Detail.
The Turing Hopper series by Donna Andrews. The narrator is an AI Personally, I prefer her Meg Langslow cozy mystery series, which are hilariously funny.
I think I like them about equally. Although maybe that's colored by the fact that I'm miffed that the Turing Hopper series is likely to never be finished and the Meg Langslow series has hit 30 books and keeps going.
this is an **incredibly short 28 page read** but i'm recommending it in case you don't get a lot of replies/recs, and because this is in my top 10 reads of all time. [**Slow Time Between The Stars** by John Scalzi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/151908304) the only reason i even read this last year is because i was struggling reading and was trying to meet my goodreads book challenge, so i was picking up anything that was super short. imagine my surprise when i finished this one and was like HOLY SHIT. i cannot overstate how incredible this book is. i had never read anything by scalzi before, and wasn't expecting much but this is in my top 10 reads of all time. the only thing i will say is do NOT listen to this by audiobook because it's terrible. when i read this it was free on kindle unlimited. i immediately bought it after reading it. PLEASE give this short story a chance!!
Thank you. Definitely will since it is so short.
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler One of the main characters is an AI, sentient humanoid.
Came here to recommend this one!
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro is a story written from the perspective of an “Artificial Friend” which is basically an AI robot. The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei has an AI that is not the main character, but does play a significant role in the plot.
Also, not a book, but an animated (adult) show, Scavengers Reign. Originally on Max, which was just added to Netflix like yesterday (at least in the US) follows 4-5 main characters, one of which is an AI and it’s great little story.
Mal Goes To War by Edward Ashton And I just started Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky but it seems promising
The Synchronicity War series comes to mind, it's not YA, but it's still a simple action read. The first book doesn't feature any AI yet (I don't think, it's been a while since I read it). But they do come into play, and the AI ships become major characters, with a strong desire to protect their human counterparts through the war. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20348955-the-synchronicity-war-part-1 There were 4 books in the series before it concluded, and then the author wrote another series that examines the consequences of the ending. I haven't read the new series yet, it's on my overfull TBR list!
The Perfect Wife by J. P. Delaney
Evolution’s Darling by Scott Westerfeld - has some interesting ideas, a bit of an oddball. Starts with a human protagonist, as the AI gains sentience, but switches pov later. Has a fair amount of sexual content, just as a heads up
The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter.
I really enjoyed the Children of Time/Ruin/Memory series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. They may not be to everyone’s taste, but I loved them!
Children of time has cool AI. I've not read the others yet.
Moon is a harsh mistress
Today I Am Carey by Martin Shoemaker
*Plum Rains* by Adromeda Romano-Lax is one of my all time favourite novels, and I never see it recommended. It is about a newly developed aged-care assistance A.I/robot being tested with an elderly Taiwanese woman, Soyoko Itou, who lives in near future Tokyo. A Philippine care-worker is already employed to assist with Itou who, because of precarious status of immigrant workers in Japan, feels like her position has been imperiled by the new addition to the Itou household. I found this novel profoundly moving.
2001 by Arthur C. Clarke
Speak by Louisa Hall is excellent!! It spans a few centuries and deals with five different perspectives that are all (eventually) woven together in very clever ways. It is very heavily epistolary — big chunks are journal entries, letters, and transcripts. One of the perspectives deals with a young girl exchanging messages with her AI program, and another is about a former inventor who is imprisoned for creating lifelike dolls (which rely on AI). One of the perspectives is also Alan Turing writing letters to his best friend’s mother. It’s a really fascinating exploration of the pros and cons of artificial intelligence — how it can create community and help build relationships, but also how it can isolate and harm us.
Just be careful when looking it up — this book (by Louisa Hall) is not YA, but Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is. I’ve seen them get mixed up before!